Issue: #16 | July 2015
CONSUME WITH CARE In this issue: Fiinovation & IOD Champion the Cause of Environment Management
Making India Sustainable
Infographic : The Echo of Environment Are we listening?
HUL - Breathing Life
Fiinobservation of National Days
into MGNREGA
www.ďŹ inova on.co.in
From the
CEO’s Desk The world popula on today stands at over 7 billion. As it con nues to grow, the demand for resources to fulfill their need is also accelera ng. Today, in the modern world, we have established scien fic economies where we have become heavily dependent on ar ficial devices and products. In our a empt to sa ate our unlimited wants, we have exploited the natural resources to the extent to which natural calami es have become a regular occurrence. Over the years, environmental concerns such as global warming, disturbed weather cycle and different forms of air, soil and water pollu on have clearly indicated that we have wreaked havoc on our planet. By plundering environmental resources, we have not only destroyed millions of habitats of wildlife species but also jeopardized our own existence. have intruded upon the sanc ty and balance of nature. This gives us a peek into the future where warring countries will fight to take control of the most precious possession water, and not oil. The ever-growing popula on is at a high risk of destroying a green future. I firmly believe it is our responsibility that we become sustainable and leave a green and healthy habitat for the next genera on because we owe it to them. We must not forget that we have borrowed the earth from our children and we must put in a cohesive effort to preserve it to ensure con nuity. This edi on of our newsle er focuses on the growing and glaring concern of consump on against availability, leading to environmental degrada on. The theme 'Making Future Green - Consume with Care' brings forward different aspects of popula on growth in rela on to the use of natural resources. We, at Fiinova on, believe that sustainability is the only way forward for tackling a global problem and of such a magnitude that concerns not only us but our children too. Let's give a green hope to the next genera on.
Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty CEO, Fiinovation (Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.)
Fiinovation & IOD Champion the Cause of Environment Management New Delhi: 'Strategize and integrate environment management policies within the business framework and ensure smooth transi on towards a greener economy' was the popular sen ment echoed by the industry stalwarts at the 17th World Congress Day on Environment Management held on July 10-11, 2015 at Le Meridien, New Delhi, organised by the Ins tute of Directors (IOD). The twoday event offered a pla orm to leaders from the field to deliberate on the issue of climate change and take correc ve measures to curb the damages. Joining hands with IOD as Principle Knowledge Partner, Fiinova on, a research based consultancy in CSR & Sustainability domain, lent its support to the event and contributed to its success. The Chief Guest of the inaugural session Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar, said, "There is a need to create a balance in the natural system, climate change fund and less IPR influence." According to him, a balance between the three can ensure benefits for developing and under-developed countries and help in reduc on of risks from clima c changes. "Regular amendments of laws are necessary to address climate change and we are working on bringing a new legal infrastructure that will make processes simpler and focus on a policy based regime." he further said. He also drew a en on to various ini a ves undertaken by the ministry of Environment, Government of India such as re-foresta on, carbon budge ng and affluent monitoring systems. Underlining the need to incorporate sustainability within the business opera ons amidst a world crisis of water availability that is expected to become a reality by 2030, Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty, CEO, Fiinova on, said we should take the opportunity to earnestly think and imbibe environment management processes and policies in our opera ons. "The journey undertaken by the present genera on is already under 50% debt, and they do not have the right to take away from the future genera ons," he said. The core agenda of the conference was to explore cri cal issues of environment such as role of ICT in environment management and socio-economic development, environmental governance, driving green growth through market based instruments, comba ng risks to environment through clima c change and aligning CSR with environment. These were segmented into seven different plenary sessions which had eminent panelists who shared their exper se on the ma er. The culmina ng session of the conference was followed by the pres gious 'Golden Peacock Awards 2015' in the presence of Ms. Meenakshi Lekhi, Hon'ble Member of Parliament; Mr. S. Chakraborty, CEO, Fiinova on; Mr. Lavasa, Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, who facilitated various corpora ons for their achievement in the field of environment management. The event ended on a high note with the event proving to be an engaging one for all the concerned par es.
Making India Sustainable With 17.5 percent share in the world's popula on, India stands at the second posi on as the most populous country in the world. The increasing popula on poses a threat to forest land, agricultural area and other such land to be inhabited by surplus popula on. In order to address the growing needs and demands of a popula on base that shows no signs of slowing down, humans have exploited natural resources to no end. This has exerted huge pressure on the planet, resul ng in weakening the pile of finite natural resources. The rapidly growing popula on and their never ending greed for more luxurious lifestyle has resulted in environmental degrada on. Following the trend of urban popula on, people from rural areas are also shi ing to urban lifestyle and moving towards industries for employment opportunity. Urbaniza on and industrializa on, together, have contributed towards economic growth and development to a great extent. But due to wastage, irresponsible disposal of untreated waste have proceeded to unfavorable condi ons of the agricultural land, flora-fauna and fresh water. Earth has been regressively bearing the brunt of fulfilling our demands by constant supply of resources. Majority of the popula on is aware about degrada on of environment, but their unwillingness to develop eco-friendly habits contributes to further deteriora on. It is crucial for an economy to execute economic ac vi es backed by sustainability to be successful. Sustainable growth facilitates profit genera on in the short run, while ensuring environmental balance in the long-run. Next in line to become the superpower, owing to a fast paced infrastructural development and a favourable economic growth rate, India needs to op mally u lize and sustain available resources, if it is seriously looking to achieve all round development. It is necessary for India to op mally u lize and sustain the available resources. Thus, it is impera ve to research and innovate to minimize wastage, reduce cost and lower the carbon footprint. The intent of the industries and urban development authori es should be to evolve and employ technologies to u lize renewable energy with prudent innova on.
Aditi Singh
The Echo of Environment Are we listening? GROWING POPULATION, SHRINKING PLANET 9000 8000 7000
Million
6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 500BC
0
1000
1500
1800
1900
1950
1975
1999
2025
Popula on Growth Globally
HUMAN IMPACT - UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES PM2.5, which is considered the most dangerous par cle, o en reaches more than 20 mes the permissible limit in Delhi's air. We are using 50% more natural resources than the earth can comfortably provide.
14 billion pounds of garbage are dumped into the ocean every year, most of which is plas c.
In 2012, humans generated over 49 m i l l i o n to n s o f electronic waste.
Every hour, 1,692 acres of produc ve dry land becomes a desert.
Americans make up 5% of the world's popula on and yet produce 30% of the world's waste while using 25% of the world's resources.
27% of the world's coral reefs have been destroyed. If this con nues, it will be wiped from the face of the planet in the next 30 years. In just 1 minute, 43,000 tons of carbon dioxide were emi ed into the world while 56,674 barrels of oil were pumped from the Earth.
LET'S HITCH-HIKE TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY!
India's Solar Poten al
India's Emission Target
750 GW
Reduc on of GHG by 40% by 2030
India's Renewable Energy Target
India's Sanita on Target
1,75,000 MW of by 2022
India's Forest Cover Target 33% of the Geographical area of the Country
Open Defeca on Free by 2019
{ABILITY{ SUSTAIN
FOR THE PEOPLE
BY THE PEOPLE
HUL - Breathing Life into MGNREGA
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company with a heritage of over 80 years in India and has touched the lives of two out of three Indians two out of three Indians. Understanding the need for crea ng societal value to improve the standard of living of the people, the company established Hindustan Unilever Founda on (HUF) in 2010, a not-for-profit organiza on with a view to anchor various community development ini a ves.
HUL Snapshot Founded Sector Type Revenue Employees
1932 FMCG Public Rs 30,170 Crore Direct 18,000; Indirect - 65,000
HUF has been suppor ng na onal priori es for socio-economic development through its 'Water For Public Good' programme. It collaborated in an innova ve public-private-civil society partnership for providing livelihood and conserving nature through Mahatma Gandhi Na onal Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with its Rs. 42 crore ini a ve.
Issues With more than 200 suicides this year alone, Marathawada con nues to remain the epicentre of farmer suicides in India. Many in the region quite clearly remember the severe 1972 drought. However, things have not changed despite significant work towards water conserva on. People s ll rely on water tanks, while the huge agrarian crisis have ensured that it has become a quest for survival for the villagers. Some of the concerns that have arisen from the issue are: Ÿ 75% of the families migrate to labour in sugarcane fields in western Maharashtra Ÿ 50% drop in MGNREGA work in last five years: 284 crore in 2009-10 to 155 crore in 2014-15 Ÿ Panchayat and block level authori es lack the capacity to plan, formulate and execute MGNREGA work, absorbing large number of job seekers
Implementa on Process Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
Awareness genera on on water conserva on through street plays, folk songs etc. Visits to Hiware Bazaar, a water conserva on model village in Ahmednagar district Collec ng baseline data on households Wealth rankings for the diagnosis of the financial condi on of the farmer Vulnerability score of the village based on five capitals; natural, human, social, material and financial Topography mapping - ground water, surface water and catchments, rainfall intensity and pa erns, es mates of run-offs, evapora on rate and other environmental measures Ÿ Engaging with the government authori es, building capaci es, and altering mindsets of partners
Impact Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
Created a cumula ve water poten al of 100 billion litres in last 5 years, targe ng 500 billion litres by 2020 Targe ng increase in agricultural yields (9,700 tonnes) by 2019 spread over 76 villages In Ambad block of Jalna district, over 2,500 people work on MGNREGA sites everyday Water conserva on work deploying 200-300 people in a single village is now quite common The ini a ve beginning to interest large corpora ons such as L&T, HDFC, HDFC etc.
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Food for thought Popula on growth shares complex es to poverty and inequality, exacerba ng the gap between the wealthy and the poor, and complica ng access to Earth's finite resources. Since 1870, global sea levels have risen by about 8 inches. There are more than 500 million cars in the world and by 2030 the number will rise to 1 billion. This means pollu on level will be more than double. Burning fossil fuels to produce fer lizers for animal feed crops may emit 41 million metric tons of CO2 per year. Corn, wheat, and rice, the fast-growing crops on which humanity depends for survival, are among the most nitrogen hungry of all plants.
Hear the influencers speak "Climate change is destroying our path to sustainability. Ours is a world of looming challenges and increasingly limited resources. Sustainable development offers the best chance to adjust our course.” -Ban Ki-moon (Secretary-General of the United Na ons)
"The future is green energy, sustainability, renewable energy.” -Arnold Schwarzenegger
“People 'over-produce' pollu on because they are not paying for the costs of dealing with it.” -Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry W. Kendall
"The hungry world cannot be fed un l and unless the growth of its resources and the growth of its popula on come into balance. Each man and woman - and each na on - must make decisions of conscience and policy in the face of this great problem.” -Lyndon B. Johnson
"If we don't halt popula on growth with jus ce and compassion, it will be done for us by nature, brutally and without pity- and will leave a ravaged world." -Nobel Laureate Dr. Henry W. Kendall
Fiinobservation of International Days World Population Day
World Youth Skills Day 11 July
15 July
World Day against Trafficking in Persons 30 July
In 1989, the Governing Council of the United Na ons Development Programme (UNDP) recommended that 11th July be observed as World Popula on Day by the interna onal community. This was a day to focus a en on on the urgency and importance of popula on issues. This year, the theme of World Popula on Day is “Vulnerable Popula ons in Emergencies.” The World Popula on Day is in a sense a means to review measures undertaken to improve and control popula on. According to the “Millennium Development Goals India country report 2015" released by the Ministry of Sta s cs and Programme Implementa on, Government of India, India has fared well in achieving some of the targets. We have been successful to bring down Poverty Head Count Ra o to 21.9 percent in 2011-12 from 47.8 percent of 1990. Primary educa on rate for all youths will reach 93.38 in 2015 marching towards 100 percent rate soon; however we s ll can do be er in reducing child mortality rate and improving in maternal health. The power of 1.28 billion is both a challenge and an opportunity. The ques on is can we capitalize on this power to build a na on full of opportunity and pave the path for development?
The youth are the torchbearers of a na on, owing to the huge poten al they hold to transform the society for the be er. It is es mated that the youth popula on, aged between 12 and 24, accounts for approximately 23% of the world popula on. But, having such a massive youth force will not do any good if it's le unguided. Hence, there is a need to tap this pool. Regarded as the leaders of tomorrow, makes it even more crucial to recognise their rights and needs for nurturing their skills to ensure a bright future for the society as a whole. World Youth Skills Day is a United Na ons (UN) designated day which seeks to generate greater awareness and discussion on the importance of technical, voca onal, educa on and training and the development of other skills relevant to both local and global financial state. Sri Lanka ini ated this resolu on, with the assistance of the G77 and China, which led to the UN general assembly declaring 15th July as the World Youth Skills Day on 19th December 2014.
Taking one's freedom away is perhaps the biggest crime of them all. We, all have read the books of history and learned about how from the beginning of civiliza on slavery was prevalent in almost every culture, religion and part of the world. Human trafficking an ill prac ce which had caused menace is thought to be ex nct by many, but the truth is that even in the present era people are vic m of this prac ce. The many forms of human trafficking are child labour, forced labour, sexual slavery and even forced marriage. The vic ms of all these prac ces are deprived from their basic rights and are forced to oblige the orders of others. As per United Na on 2.5 million people are trapped in modern day slavery at any given me in a day. Out of the en re popula on women are more pushed into human trafficking. As per UN 70 percent of the vic m of slavery are women, whom are mostly forced into sex trade. In 2013, the UNGA adopted a resolu on and designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons.
About Fiinova on Fiinova on, a research based organiza on, is an integrated solu on enabler in the CSR and sustainability domain. It is focused towards enhancing quality across organiza onal value chain through meaningful innova on thereby ensuring sustainability. It is Asia's first proposal research laboratory wherein research is focused primarily on four sectors, which include health, educa on, livelihood and environment. The prac ces CSR Por olio Management (CPM), CSR-CSO Partnership, Ini a ve Design, Ini a ve Management, Monitoring and Evalua on, Impact Assessment and Sustainability Repor ng help provide simple solu ons to their partners. Fiinova on 24/30, Ground Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III New Delhi - 110020 Phone: 011-42332200 | Fax : 011-42332205 website: www.fiinova on.co.in | Email: media@fiinova on.co.in